Light My Fire
Page 2
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I stared at the pleasant-looking fifty-something man in the taxi, not sure I was really seeing him, my brain grinding to a halt at the sight. It couldn’t be Rene. It just couldn’t. Could it?
Jim glared at me in answer to the question asked of it.
“Ah,” Rene said, tipping his head to the side as he blithely ignored the honking of horns from the cars stopped behind him. “She has ordered you to silence, eh?”
“Rene, what in the he—Abaddon are you doing here?” I asked, finally able to kick-start my brain into functioning.
He smiled and reached behind him to open the door. “I will take you to where you are going.”
“Nuh-uh.” I could ignore the backed-up traffic just as easily as he could. “Not until you tell me what you’re doing here, in London, in a taxi. And it had better be good, because you showing up in Budapest a few weeks ago was really pushing the coincidence line.”
“Get in, and I shall tell you all.”
I gave him a long look to warn him he had better mean it and opened the door to the taxi, herding Jim in before I followed.
“Now, spill,” I said as the taxi started to move. “Oh, I’m going to 15 Warlock Close. That’s located—”
“I know where it is. North of Bury Street, yes?”
“Yes. How do you know where it is? How do you know London that well? And what in god’s name are you doing here? Why aren’t you home in Paris?”
Rene’s brown eyes twinkled at me in the mirror. I stiffened my immunity to his charm, sure something was going on for him to show up in yet another country driving yet another taxi. “You remember my cousin in Budapest, the one I was helping out during the week you were there?”
“Yes,” I said suspiciously. “What about him? You’re not going to tell me that he also drives a taxi here, in London?”
“No,” Rene said, cutting across two lanes of traffic to turn left onto the short dead-end street where Nora’s apartment was located. “His brother, my cousin Pavel, does, but that is not why I am here.”
“Your cousin Pavel drives an English taxi?” I asked, refusing to budge when Rene pulled up with a flourish in front of our building.
“Oui. He is most good at it, as are all the men in my family.” Rene didn’t even bother trying to look modest; he just grinned at me in the mirror as he backed the taxi into a tiny loading area so it was no longer blocking the road.
“I’m not buying that, you know. Why are you following me? Are you some sort of really nice, helpful French stalker? You’re not in love with me or obsessed with me or anything, are you?”
Jim snorted and rolled its eyes.
“You can speak if you have anything helpful to say,” I told it.
“The sun will never rise on a day when I say something that’s not worth its weight in platinum,” my demon answered. “Hi, Rene. How they hangin’?”
“Free and easy, my friend,” Rene answered, turning in his seat so he could reach to ruffle the top of Jim’s furry black head. “It is good to see you both. You look well.”
“No,” I said, holding up a warning finger at Jim. “No long, maudlin tales of how your heart was broken because I didn’t take you to Paris to see Cecile the minute we landed. Rene is telling us just why he’s here. In a taxi. When he lives and works in another country altogether.”
Rene laughed. “Mon amie, put your mind at the rest. I am not in love with you—I have a wife and seven small ones, recall you. And I am not a stalker, or obsessed with you, although I am very happy to see you both. I have missed you these last few weeks.”
Now I felt like a great big heel. “I’m very happy to see you, too,” I answered, leaning forward to hug him. “We were planning on seeing you when we got to Paris. How are you? How is your family? And what are you doing here?”
“I am fine. My family, they are fine as well, although my wife, she has the allergies of flowers and her nose does not march along happily because of it. And I am here because she stayed home so she could not come on our honeymoon.”
“Your honeymoon!” Jim didn’t look surprised, but I sure did.
Rene shrugged his familiar expressive Gallic shrug. “When we were married twenty years ago, we did not have the honeymoon. We put it off until we had the time and money, but by then the little ones were coming along. So it waited until now. We were to have a whole month touring England seeing the grand homes and gardens, but my wife, she does not want to see any more pollen, and the tickets are not exchangeable, so . .. here I am.”
I wasn’t buying it. It was too pat, too slick, too ... coincidental. And he had used up all his coincidence tickets when he showed up to help me in Budapest. “OK. But why are you in a taxi?”
“My cousin Pavel.” He reached behind him out through the window and pulled the door open. “He is taking his wife to stay in the Shakespeare town, using my reservation while I stay at his flat. He didn’t ask me to take over his job, too, but hein. It is what I do best. Me, I am the taxi driver extraordinaire.”
“You’re something, all right. And I’m going to find out just what it is.” I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing at Jim. My demon did not normally stay silent for more than a second or two unless specifically ordered, but here it was letting an entire conversation pass by without any sort of comment. I couldn’t help but wonder whether Jim knew who Rene really was.
“So suspicious,” Rene answered, shaking his head as I got out of the car. Jim followed. “What makes you disbelieve me?”
“One,” I said, ticking the items off on my fingers, “you show up when I need help in Paris. Two, you do the same thing in Budapest. Three, you weren’t affected at all by the Venus amulet I had there, which hit every other mortal man over the head like a lusty sledgehammer. Why is that, Rene?”
He just smiled at me.
“Uh-huh. I knew it. You’re not just a taxi driver who happened to stumble into the Otherworld like I did, are you? You’re ... you’re something else, right? Something not mortal?”
Rene smiled again.
“Ash.”
“Sec, Jim. Come on, Rene. Out with it. It’s no coincidence that you’ve shown up whenever I’ve needed you, is it?” My eyes narrowed as I thought about that. “Only I don’t need you right now. Everything is hunky-dory in my life. I washed that dragon right out of my hair, I managed to smuggle Jim into the country by means of demonic limbo, and Nora is going to train me to be a proper Guardian, not one who falls into stuff without knowing what to do. So . . . why are you here?”
Jim glared at me in answer to the question asked of it.
“Ah,” Rene said, tipping his head to the side as he blithely ignored the honking of horns from the cars stopped behind him. “She has ordered you to silence, eh?”
“Rene, what in the he—Abaddon are you doing here?” I asked, finally able to kick-start my brain into functioning.
He smiled and reached behind him to open the door. “I will take you to where you are going.”
“Nuh-uh.” I could ignore the backed-up traffic just as easily as he could. “Not until you tell me what you’re doing here, in London, in a taxi. And it had better be good, because you showing up in Budapest a few weeks ago was really pushing the coincidence line.”
“Get in, and I shall tell you all.”
I gave him a long look to warn him he had better mean it and opened the door to the taxi, herding Jim in before I followed.
“Now, spill,” I said as the taxi started to move. “Oh, I’m going to 15 Warlock Close. That’s located—”
“I know where it is. North of Bury Street, yes?”
“Yes. How do you know where it is? How do you know London that well? And what in god’s name are you doing here? Why aren’t you home in Paris?”
Rene’s brown eyes twinkled at me in the mirror. I stiffened my immunity to his charm, sure something was going on for him to show up in yet another country driving yet another taxi. “You remember my cousin in Budapest, the one I was helping out during the week you were there?”
“Yes,” I said suspiciously. “What about him? You’re not going to tell me that he also drives a taxi here, in London?”
“No,” Rene said, cutting across two lanes of traffic to turn left onto the short dead-end street where Nora’s apartment was located. “His brother, my cousin Pavel, does, but that is not why I am here.”
“Your cousin Pavel drives an English taxi?” I asked, refusing to budge when Rene pulled up with a flourish in front of our building.
“Oui. He is most good at it, as are all the men in my family.” Rene didn’t even bother trying to look modest; he just grinned at me in the mirror as he backed the taxi into a tiny loading area so it was no longer blocking the road.
“I’m not buying that, you know. Why are you following me? Are you some sort of really nice, helpful French stalker? You’re not in love with me or obsessed with me or anything, are you?”
Jim snorted and rolled its eyes.
“You can speak if you have anything helpful to say,” I told it.
“The sun will never rise on a day when I say something that’s not worth its weight in platinum,” my demon answered. “Hi, Rene. How they hangin’?”
“Free and easy, my friend,” Rene answered, turning in his seat so he could reach to ruffle the top of Jim’s furry black head. “It is good to see you both. You look well.”
“No,” I said, holding up a warning finger at Jim. “No long, maudlin tales of how your heart was broken because I didn’t take you to Paris to see Cecile the minute we landed. Rene is telling us just why he’s here. In a taxi. When he lives and works in another country altogether.”
Rene laughed. “Mon amie, put your mind at the rest. I am not in love with you—I have a wife and seven small ones, recall you. And I am not a stalker, or obsessed with you, although I am very happy to see you both. I have missed you these last few weeks.”
Now I felt like a great big heel. “I’m very happy to see you, too,” I answered, leaning forward to hug him. “We were planning on seeing you when we got to Paris. How are you? How is your family? And what are you doing here?”
“I am fine. My family, they are fine as well, although my wife, she has the allergies of flowers and her nose does not march along happily because of it. And I am here because she stayed home so she could not come on our honeymoon.”
“Your honeymoon!” Jim didn’t look surprised, but I sure did.
Rene shrugged his familiar expressive Gallic shrug. “When we were married twenty years ago, we did not have the honeymoon. We put it off until we had the time and money, but by then the little ones were coming along. So it waited until now. We were to have a whole month touring England seeing the grand homes and gardens, but my wife, she does not want to see any more pollen, and the tickets are not exchangeable, so . .. here I am.”
I wasn’t buying it. It was too pat, too slick, too ... coincidental. And he had used up all his coincidence tickets when he showed up to help me in Budapest. “OK. But why are you in a taxi?”
“My cousin Pavel.” He reached behind him out through the window and pulled the door open. “He is taking his wife to stay in the Shakespeare town, using my reservation while I stay at his flat. He didn’t ask me to take over his job, too, but hein. It is what I do best. Me, I am the taxi driver extraordinaire.”
“You’re something, all right. And I’m going to find out just what it is.” I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing at Jim. My demon did not normally stay silent for more than a second or two unless specifically ordered, but here it was letting an entire conversation pass by without any sort of comment. I couldn’t help but wonder whether Jim knew who Rene really was.
“So suspicious,” Rene answered, shaking his head as I got out of the car. Jim followed. “What makes you disbelieve me?”
“One,” I said, ticking the items off on my fingers, “you show up when I need help in Paris. Two, you do the same thing in Budapest. Three, you weren’t affected at all by the Venus amulet I had there, which hit every other mortal man over the head like a lusty sledgehammer. Why is that, Rene?”
He just smiled at me.
“Uh-huh. I knew it. You’re not just a taxi driver who happened to stumble into the Otherworld like I did, are you? You’re ... you’re something else, right? Something not mortal?”
Rene smiled again.
“Ash.”
“Sec, Jim. Come on, Rene. Out with it. It’s no coincidence that you’ve shown up whenever I’ve needed you, is it?” My eyes narrowed as I thought about that. “Only I don’t need you right now. Everything is hunky-dory in my life. I washed that dragon right out of my hair, I managed to smuggle Jim into the country by means of demonic limbo, and Nora is going to train me to be a proper Guardian, not one who falls into stuff without knowing what to do. So . . . why are you here?”
